The forest was quiet, the kind of quiet that made every crackle of the campfire seem unnaturally loud. The twin suns hung low, casting long shadows that danced with the flames. Emperal sat cross-legged, staring into the fire as if it held the answers to his tangled thoughts.
Grimblaze had strutted off with a puffed-up chest, announcing his plans to hunt like he was the king of the jungle. Emperal barely acknowledged him, too deep in thought. His brows furrowed, his sharp features twisted into a scowl.
"Something's holding me back…" he muttered under his breath.
His mind churned. "It seems something is restricting my Solustasis," he muttered, his voice barely audible over the crackle of the fire.
He clenched his fist. Somehow,his Solustasis only seemed to affect beings still in the second cycle, refining veins. It was maddening, like a chain around his potential.
"I have to make my body stronger," he thought, Although eating the hearts of the beasts did make him stronger but they were all weak in strength.
His expression darkened. His instincts told him this wasn't just a coincidence. Shaking his head, he exhaled sharply, then closed his eyes. Slowly, his consciousness drifted into the realm of unconsciousness.
…
The void he entered was cold and oppressive, like stepping into a boundless, inky abyss. There it was again—that fractured rune, floating in the darkness, faintly pulsing with light that flickered like a dying ember.
He tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. The rune was a mystery, one he hadn't yet unraveled. It pulsed again, and for a moment, it felt alive, almost like it was watching him.
"What are you?" he muttered, his curiosity piqued.
Without much thought, he willed it toward him. The rune reacted immediately, as if it had been waiting for this. It glowed brighter, its fragmented edges trembling before it shot into him, a surge of energy that rattled his very core.
Suddenly, his mind swirled into chaos, a torrent of darkness pulling him under. His stomach churned violently, and he felt as though the world was spinning out of control.
When the sensation stopped, Emperal opened his eyes and froze. The forest was gone.
All around him was a warped, hellish expanse. Red and black stretched endlessly in every direction. The air was thick, almost suffocating, with a heavy metallic tang that made his throat burn. Symbols floated in the space around him, grotesque and pulsating, their jagged edges shifting and curling as if they were alive.
"What… What are these?" he muttered, his voice hoarse.
The symbols seemed to notice him, turning toward him in unison. Their movements were jerky and unnatural, their surfaces rippling like flesh. The longer he looked, the more unsettling they became, each one oozing a strange, dark liquid that hissed and evaporated into the air.
Cautiously, he reached out toward one of them, his fingers brushing its surface.
WHOOSH.
The entire space trembled violently. A low, guttural wail echoed around him, piercing and unnatural, like the cries of tortured souls.
Before he could react, the symbols began to move. With an eerie, synchronized screech, they swarmed toward him, their cries resonating in his ears.
Emperal tried to back away, but it was too late. The symbols rushed him like a cyclone, twisting and turning as they funneled toward his mouth.
He growled, trying to resist, but they were relentless.
One after another, they forced their way inside him, their foul essence choking him as they entered. Each one burned like molten iron as it passed, searing its way down his throat.
"Arghhh!" Emperal groaned, clutching his head as a searing pain exploded in his skull. His vision blurred, his legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground, gasping.
The last thing he saw before everything went black was the faint glow of the rune in his mind, now blazing with a sinister, unholy light.
…
"Bss…"
"Boss…"
"BOSS!"
The raspy, frantic voice dragged Emperal out of unconsciousness. His eyes opened slowly, his body heavy as if he had been underwater for hours. "Ugh… Where the hell am I?" he muttered, his voice rough.
The air felt strange—thick, oppressive, like the forest had been swallowed by some unseen force. He glanced around, the faint outlines of trees barely visible in the dim light. Grimblaze stood a few feet away, his stubby legs wobbling as he hovered nervously.
"Boss!" Grimblaze's stubby form hovered nearby, his wide eyes filled with concern. But Emperal ignored him, his focus snapping inward instead.
Emperal sat up, rubbing his temples. "How the hell did I survive that?" he muttered to himself,
He flexed his fingers, noticing the faint black markings beneath his skin, shifting like living shadows. His body felt… different. There was a heaviness to it, but not in a sluggish way—it was more like he was carrying something dark and volatile inside him.
"And this physique…" His lips curled into a small, almost wicked smirk. "Abyssal Corruption Physique, huh? No wonder it feels so…Evil."
The realization hit him. Whatever had happened during that nightmare, it had left him with something new, something powerful—and undeniably sinister. He could feel it coursing through his veins, an unholy energy that made his skin crawl.
"Well, no point crying over curses," he thought.
"BOSS!" Grimblaze's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. The hippol's wide, panicked eyes were locked on him. "What happened to you?! You were glowing and all creepy just now! Even the trees were shaking like they'd seen a ghost."
Emperal glanced at him, his expression calm but unreadable. "It's nothing," he said with a shrug. "I'll explain later."
Grimblaze didn't look convinced. "Nothing? Boss, you were giving off vibes like you'd eaten a demon for breakfast."
Emperal smirked at that but said nothing. "Boss there seems som-"
"Well, well, what do we have here?" He was cut short by a voice.
Emperal's gaze snapped toward the source. Two figures emerged from the shadows, their movements deliberate, their postures reeking of arrogance.
The one who had spoken was tall and lean, with sharp features and a smug grin that made Emperal's skin itch. His armor was battered but functional, the kind that screamed "experienced scavenger."
His companion, a broad-shouldered brute named Kares, followed closely behind. His arms were crossed over his chest, his eyes scanning Emperal and Grimblaze like they were prey.
"Looks like we stumbled across some drifters, Kares," the first man sneered. "What do you think? A little fun before we take their valuables?"
Kares grunted, his lips curling into a lazy smirk. "Might as well. They don't look like much."
Grimblaze shifted nervously, glancing at Emperal. "Boss, you want me to, uh… handle this?" he whispered, clearly not as confident as he was pretending to be.
Emperal didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stood up slowly, brushing off his cloak and stretching like he had all the time in the world. His expression was relaxed, but his eyes glinted with something dangerous.
"Handle it?" he said finally, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "No need. These two rats are perfect for testing.
Grimblaze blinked, confused. "Testing? What does that mean?"
Emperal's smirk widened, his aura shifting ever so slightly. "You go and get me some water." Grimblaze, though confused, nodded.
The two bandits stopped a few paces away, their overconfidence practically oozing out of them. The leader pointed a sword at Emperal, his grin widening. "You've got guts standing there like that. I'll give you that much. But don't think for a second we're gonna go easy on you."
Emperal tilted his head, his grin sharpening, almost predatory. "Oh, don't worry. I wasn't expecting you to."
They took out their weapons. Which were slightly glowing." Cycle 3?" Emperal muttered with a surprised face. Then his lips curled up.
Before the man could say another word, he was yanked toward Emperal by an invisible force. A pulse of dark energy surged through Emperal's hand, causing the veins on his hand to turn black.
The man gasped, his body convulsing as black markings slithered across his skin like writhing worms.
"ARGHHH!" He screamed, writhing in pain as the markings spread faster. But just as quickly, his body couldn't handle it.
Boom.
He exploded into a cloud of blood and flesh.
Emperal smirked, his eyes gleaming with malicious amusement. "This cursed energy's a bit complex to control... but damn, it's fun." He turned his gaze to the second man, the air around him growing colder. "Your turn."
…